French basketball will remember the year 2023 for years to come. As fate would have it, Tony Parker became the first French basketball player to enter the Hall of Fame in the same year that a certain Victor Wembanyama became the first French basketball player to be selected at the top spot of the draft. However, there's still a long way to go before "Wemby" makes the leap from "the biggest potential player in the history of basketball" to an established star. But for Tony Parker, whose career alone has led thousands of punters to open an original betting account via agent, this is a crowning achievement. One that was bestowed upon him on Saturday August 12 at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.

An Iconic Player

Tony Parker's game has always been based on speed. His signature «tear-drop» move made him almost unbeatable close to the rim. However, shooting even from mid-distance was not his forte. Hiring Chip Engelland in 2005 helped him improve significantly on this aspect of his game.

From 2011 to 2014, during his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs, he became the true boss of the team as a part of the famous "Big Three", along with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. After 17 years with the franchise, and a last season with the Charlotte Hornets, at age 37, he decided that it was time to retire. The Texans acknowledged his contribution by retiring his jersey with the number 9. And this year, the time to receive the highest honor for an NBA player, finally arrived.

The Hall of Fame

The first French NBA champion, the first French All Star, the first French Finals MVP, Tony Parker has become the first Frenchman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 197 names have managed to enter the Pantheon of Basetball. Not just NBA. The best players from all over the world have crossed the line and received the highest possible recognition.

Starting with the best of them all, Michael Jordan, we see legends of the sport like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant (honored posthumously) and Lary Bird. The first European player to make the list was Kresimir Cosic in 1996. Afterwards, Arvydas Sabonis, Toni Kukoc and the Mozart of the sport, Drazen Petrovic, followed. And it was this last name that allowed Tony Parker to dream of the induction. And he wasn’t alone for 2023. The year also marked the first German player to enter, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol also joined up.

Tony Parker’s impact

While Drazen Petrovic was the first point guard to actually succeed in the NBA, in an era that the positions were dominated by names like Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, etc., it was Tony Parker who actually made the Americans turn to Europe for the players to set the pace of the game. It was him the one to open the door for the likes of Dennis Schröder, Ricky Rubio, Goran Dragić and Juan Carlos Navarro to cross the ocean and wear the uniforms of an NBA team.

Every player that has made it to the highest recognition had something quite significant to add to the game. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that it was them, the ones to contribute the most to the development of basketball as a sport. Their addition to a roster (or their departure from one) has not just made thousands of fans to rush to the stadiums. It also made thousands of punters to register for an original betting account and place their bets on them.